(Radio Iowa) – First District Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks says the effects of the federal government shutdown are being felt in Iowa. She said 18- thousand federal employees in Iowa are furloughed or working without pay because of the federal government shutdown – which she blames on Democrats.

“When I voted to fund the government, I voted people. I didn’t vote politics. They need to stop using this as a political football and taking the American people hostage,” she says. Miller-Meeks held a town hall-style event over the phone last night (Wednesday night).

One caller said they were worried about the effects of the Big Beautiful Bill on Iowa’s renewable energy sector, which supplies the state with over 30-thousand jobs. Miller-Meeks said she wants to protect all jobs and added it has been a tough year for farmers. “We know that our ag sector has been under stress since ‘22-’23, and this year is going to be a tough year for them. So it’s looking at how we can support our businesses in Iowa, how we can have the energy so that companies can continue to grow,” she says.

Miller-Meeks has not held an in-person town hall so far this term. In a video that recently surfaced, she said she would hold an in-person town hall when hell freezes over.